Ep. 307: Are Mushrooms Really Magic?

In this episode, Stacy and Sarah tackle the latest trend of using mushrooms as a supplement
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The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 307:  Are Mushrooms Really Magic?
Intro (0:00)
News and Views (0:40)
Stacy asked Sarah to prioritize this week's topic.
Sarah had to do a lot of research (and learned a lot of things!) researching this week's topic.
Stacy's question to Sarah was, "should we really be putting mushrooms in coffee?"

Listener Questions (5:55)
Jan writes, "Hey ladies!! Love your show. Thanks for everything that you do to help so many people be the best versions that they can be!!! I was wanting your thoughts on the medicinal mushroom drinks. I keep hearing about them and seeing ads for the four stigmatic drinks. I have several autoimmune so would love to know for that as well as for those that don’t have auto immunes."
Annik writes, "Bonjour Sarah et Stacy, I love your books and your podcast - the science you bring to health topics is so refreshing and helpful in navigating the tremendous amount of health claims we are bombarded with daily, and weeding out the fads and those that are not scientifically proven.This brings me to my question. The new health push seems to be for including powdered mushrooms into our diet. Claims include increased energy and reduced fatigue, mental clarity, immune boosting properties, hormone balancing, etc. Is there any science that shows the benefits of including cordyceps, chaga, lion’s mane, reishi, etc., into our diet? And if so, how long does it take for someone to feel the benefits of including these supplements into our diet? I’m particularly interested in the claims around reduced fatigue, increased energy and immune boosting properties. I do not have an autoimmune condition diagnosis yet but I have been dealing with fatigue, congestion and lots of colds in the last year which continues to be unexplained by my medical doctor. While I know quick fixes don’t work, if adding powdered mushrooms to my morning tea would help with energy then why not?!Lastly, I want to say a big thank you to Dr. Ballantyne for the Autoimmune Protocol Lecture Series. I took the 6-week course and learned so much! I was already eating a paleo diet but saw tremendous benefits in fine-tuning my diet to see how it could help with my health challenges described above. I am most grateful for the continued access to the course material; I messed up the reintroduction part and will now restart the course!Thank you both for all that you do and for your active social media info sharing. You set the standard high for evidence-based health information and make it accessible to all of us! It is highly appreciated!"
Thanks Annik for telling us how much you love the Autoimmune Lecture Series!
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Edible mushrooms are really nutrient-dense and have unique carbohydrate and fiber types.
Medicinal mushroom use goes back thousands of years.
They date back to ancient Egyptians and ancient Chinese cultures.

In the last 50 years there have been a lot of scientific studies on mushrooms.
Specifically, health-promoting properties can include:
Antioxidants
Cholesterol-lowering properties
Anti-hypertensive
Anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory 
Liver protection
Anti-diabetic
Antio-obesity
Anti-tumor (note, only animal studies and cell culture studies to date)
Anti-viral
Anti-microbial properties

Some drugs have been created from mushroom extracts, specifically used in cancer patients to boost immune function during treatments.

Phytochemicals found in mushrooms are a contributor to the health benefits of mushrooms.
Mushrooms are high in gallic acid.
An antioxidant and h